Free State Arts and Culture mourns passing of Hugh Masekela

It is with great sadness that the Free State Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation (DSACR) has learnt about the untimely departure of one of the finest jazz maestro’s in South Africa � Mr. Hugh Ramopolo Masekela � who had a long musical career spanning over many decades and reached local as well as international audiences and saw him earning the affectionate name of Bra Hugh.

It was during the difficult days of apartheid that Bra Hugh’s music kept the spirit of the masses alive and intensified the struggle for a free and democratic South Africa. Born on 4 April 1939, Bra Hugh was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer and singer. He was widely considered the father of South African jazz but he sadly passed on 23 January 2018 due to prostate cancer.

The Mangaung African Cultural Festival (MACUFE) has been one of the major musical and cultural platforms where Bra Hugh had the opportunity to showcase his prowess in the province for many years. At the 2016 MACUFE Indoor Jazz festival, Bra Hugh rendered his last performance in the Free State Province as the closing act with a world class performance. We mourn his loss in appreciation of the contribution he has made over the years towards the development of music in South Africa and across the globe said MEC Mathabo Leeto.